Vietnam is situated along the Southeast margin of the Indochina
peninsula. It has a total land area of 330,541 [km.sup.2] and the length
of 1,600 km lasting from 23[degrees] Northern latitude to 6[degrees]
Northern Latitude and from 103[degrees] 11 to 109[degrees] 27 Eastern
Longitude. About three fourth of the land area is occupied by hills,
mountains and high land. The agricultural land occupies 23.8% (7,907,207
ha) of the land. The natural pasture occupies 1% (330,000 ha) and forest
occupies 30% (9,650,000 ha). The rest of the land is un-cultivated or
open lands (GSO, 2006).

Central Vietnam consists of 14 provinces located from the
20[degrees] to the 11[degrees] North latitude. Its surface area is about
97,000 square Kilometers and it has about 17 million inhabitants. A
common feature of these provinces is the presence of Truong Son Mountain
and a narrow coastal zone. Compared with other regions of the country,
Central Vietnam is a poor and agriculturally, it is not well developed.
This is mainly due to climatic conditions which can be hard and the
upland is not very fertile. The annual average temperature is about
25.9[degrees]C. During winter time, the lowest temperature sometimes
falls under 15[degrees]C with more than 95% humidity. During Summer
time, temperature can go up to 39[degrees]C with lower than 60%
humidity. These conditions combined with western hot winds cause a very
high rate of water evaporation. As a result, water shortage can be a
serious problem. The complicated weather and climatic conditions are not
always ideal for thermal comfort of animals (NAP, 1981; Hatfield. 2008).

Vietnam is an agricultural country with over 80% of the population
living in rural areas and their livelihood is mainly based on
agriculture. In Central Vietnam, mixed farming system (the mix of
animals and crops) is mostly applied and pigs are one of the
most-important livestock species raised by smallholder farmers. Pigs are
raised for sale, home consumption, festivals and financial security.
These animals can convert concentrated food to meat efficiently, produce
large numbers of offspring after a relatively short gestation period.
Pigs have a short generation interval and can grow rapidly. Hence, these
animals are of great interest for studies on smallholder farms and for
possible developments of these smallholders farms. Descriptive
observation studies about smallholder pigs have been conducted in Nepal
by Gatenby and Chemjongg (1992) and in the Solomon Islands by de
Fredrick (1977).

Smallholder farmers keep pigs in small numbers. They use family
labour and locally available feedstuffs. Pigs are also of considerable
importance in customs and in traditions in many developing countries
(Bantugan et al., 1992). Many constraints are known to limit improvement
of the productivity of pigs on smallholder farmers. Animals are
frequently fed household waste complemented with a small amount of other
feedstuffs. According to De Fredrick (1977), these feedstuffs include:
i) Carbohydrates resources such as cassava, rice bran, sweet potato and
fruits. ii) Leaf green materials and occasionally. iii) Protein
resources such as fresh fish, ensiled fish and shellfish. Central
Vietnam has the potential for further animal production development, if
the constraints of low nutritional quality and quantity of feedstuffs,
which are the main limitations to husbandry and management, can be
overcome. Obviously, the economic contribution of pig productions as yet
is not very high.

This study aimed to survey the situation of pig production on
smallholder farms in Central Vietnam with special emphasis on nutrition.
It is expected that based on the results of this survey specific
nutritional investigations may be needed to study possibilities for
improvements in the feeding situation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Study design

The interviews were held with 1,200 pig raising smallholders and
conducted in the three ecological zones of Central Vietnam. The
distinction between the farmers in the zones was with regard to their
main crops:

* Upland area with cassava and upland rice (UL)

* Lowland area with paddy rice cultivation and vegetable (LD)

* Coastal area with sandy land rice and aquaculture (CT)
Questionnaire survey

This study was carried out by means of an interview-based
questionnaire. Households chosen for survey were selected based on the
following criteria:

* Location (from different villages in commune and from different
regions in provinces)

These households have the main characteristics of their respective
group in the household socio-economic classification group which is
annually certified by The Ministry of Labor War Invalid and Social
Affairs (MOLISA 2003).

In general, the aspects covered in the farm questionnaires included
farm-management practices, type of feeds and feeding practices, housing,
preventive medicine and production constraints encountered in pig
production.

General information was collected on farm and household
characteristics such as family size, age, education, sex, occupation,
farm size, number of parcels, household assets, etc.

The production system included cropping and the livestock systems
included information on by-product use. Furthermore information on
household revenue and income was obtained and on main constraints as
they are perceived by farmers.

All selected farmers had at least one sow or one fattening pig. If
the selected farmers were not present on the pre-arranged day of the
interview, arrangements were made for another day or mutually convenient
meeting. If the selected farmers proved ineligible or was not present on
the pre-arranged day of the interview, an additional farmer was randomly
chosen immediately from the other farmers. At the three Agro-ecological
zones, information about each selected pig farmer was collected before
the start of the interviews. Interviews were only conducted with farmers
who meet our definition of a smallholder pig farmer (at least one pig
present at the farm visit).

The interview questionnaire that was used for this study contained
three sections: i) about pig farmers, ii) about the number of pigs, iii)
about the kind of feed resource they used and iv) years of relevant
experience. For our study only the pig farmer and the feed resources are
relevant. The pig feedstuffs section also covered information about the
caretaker.

The question was about major feedstuffs for non-pregnant pigs, for
pregnant sows, for lactating sow and for fattening pigs resp. Besides,
questions about the use of available feed resources, commercial
concentrated high protein foodstuffs, uncooked green feed, kitchen waste
and pre-mixed vitamin-mineral additive; methods of feed processing were
asked on the questionnaire. We also asked about the amounts of feed used
to feed the non-lactating sows, the lactating sows, and the fattening
pigs respectively .The interviewer weighed the animals, feeds and
feedstuffs (uncooked) on the day of the interview.

Data sources

Primary data were collected by interviewing the farmers. The
secondary data are collected from yearly statistical books published by
the General Statistical Office (GSO2006).

Provincial and district level : A review of the current
agricultural production and farming systems in the Lowland, Coastal and
Upland. The provinces involved in these survey are Nghe An, Quang Binh,
Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, and Binh Dinh. The data were
collected from provincial animal husbandry departments and divisions in
district from reports, statistical books, development strategies and
open - ended interviews.

Commune level : To determine the present major animal production
systems and animal feeding in the commune Data from commune level was
collected as follows:

* PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) work in communes and villages
which included commune leaders, organization mass and village leaders.

* The direct interviews and observations were carried out by 10
staff members of the Department of Animal Science and Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development of Hue University, by 20 final years
Student of Animal Science and by the chiefs of 27 villages.

* The smallholder pig raisers were selected for inclusion in the
study by the use of a multistage stratified random sampling process.

The income of households was estimated from animal income, crop
income and off-farm income. This was grouped in relation to different
types of households and types of animals. An animal income level was
estimated from the ratio of measured weight and reported age of each
fattening pig and the same for each sow. Data on pigs in each
smallholder unit was used to calculate pig population and performance in
each specific zone.

Off-farm income : Typically refers to money or wage received when
labor is provided to other farms. This includes payment in cash or in
kind (such as paddy and food) and other non-wage types.

Non-farm income is defined as non-agricultural income sources. The
common non-farm income sources identified are non-farm wage or salary,
non-farm rural self-employment (business income), rental income obtained
from leasing land or property, remittance from both internally
(rural-urban immigration labor) and international labor

Data analysis : In order to reach research objectives the
households are divided into different categories. Firstly, based on
ecological region. There are three ecological zones: namely Lowland,
Coastal and Upland. Theoretically, ecological ranking is intended to
analyze the different farming systems among smallholders and among pig
production categories. This gives especially the assets and situation of
the pig nutrition. Secondly, it is classified based on type of pig
production: Fattening or breeding pigs.

Data analysis is done by a model with region as factor by using
SPSS software version 11.5 and excels 2003. Descriptive information
about pig production at the three ecological zones were compared to test
for categorical and continuous data.

RESULTS

Characteristics of households in Central Vietnam Smallholders are a
heterogeneous group whose resources, livelihood patterns and income
sources are very diverse. The farm-level categorical variables of the
300 smallholder pig raiser enrolled for the cross-sectional study are as
shown in Table 1.

The mean family size in Lowland, Coastal and Upland was 5.6, 6.1,
6.7 person respectively. The mean farm size was bigger in the Upland and
Coastal areas compared to the Lowland area. On average, the cultivated
area is about 0.62 ha/farm in the Lowland, 0.88 ha/farm in the coastal
and 1.17 ha/farm in the Upland.

Traditional farming is an integrated system of rice, root crops,
fruit tree, vegetables and livestock. The specified character of
multi-purpose in Central Vietnam is the diversity of animal species used
on the farm. Livestock raised by smallholders in Central Vietnam
consists of pigs, cattle, poultry (especially duck) and fish. The number
of ruminants per household was higher in Upland whereas the number of
pigs per household was higher in Lowland.

The majority of the income of the farmers in the country as well as
in Central Vietnam comes from both crops and animal production. The
total income of households in Lowland and Upland were higher than in
Coatal area. Household income from animal production was higher compared
to income crop production and other income (Table 1).

Performance of animals

A detail survey was conducted for the farmers who are raising only
fattening or only reproductive sows were presented in Table 2. Table 2
shows the number of fattening/farm for lowland, coastal and upland areas
were 4.15, 2.97, 1.95 pigs/farm and number sows raised by smallholders
in that area was 1.35, 1.27 and 0.90 sows/farm respectively.
Smallholders in the Lowland have the highest number sows per farm and
those in upland have the lowest number. The sows raised by smallholders
in different ecological zones have different performances. Sows raised
in the Lowland and in the Coastal area have the largest litter size.
Sows raised in Lowland and Coastal areas also have the highest number of
weaned piglets and the highest weaned piglet's weight after a
60-day lactation period. Table 2 also shows that fattening pig raised by
smallholder in Upland grew slower than to that ones in the Lowland and
Coastal areas.

Situation of pig husbandry in Central Vietnam

Swine breed : The pig genetic resource in Vietnam is based on three
groups of breeds, the local breed and the exotic breeds and crossbreds.
The local pig breeds consist of Mong Cai, Thuoc Nhieu, Ba Xuyen and Co
breed and they constitute around 26% of national pig herd. Among them,
Mong Cai pigs are raised widely in all regions of the country. Compared
to exotic breed, Mong Cai pigs have lower carcass weight and a much
lower lean meat percentage and a much higher back fat thickness compared
to exotic breeds (Nguyen et al., 1996).

In recent years, the number of pigs belonging exotic breeds like
Large White, Landrace and Pietrain has increased. The mature age of
these pig breed is about 6 to 8 months. The mature weight male animal
are from 190 to 260 kg and mature weight of female pigs are from 180 to
240 kg. The lean percentage of Landrace, Yorkshire and Pietrain pigs
range from 47 to 56%.

The F1 crossbred (Large White x Mong Cai or Landrace x Mong Cai) is
the most comment type of fattening pig in rural areas throughout the
country. The main characteristics of crossbreds are better growth rates
and higher carcass lean than indigenous breeds and better adaptation to
poor feed and management conditions than purebred exotic one. Lean
percentage of two way crossed (Landrace, Yorkshire x Mong Cai) is about
43 to 45% and three ways crossed ((Yorkshire x Mong Cai) Landrace)) is
about 45 to 48% (Nguyen et al., 1995; Nguyen et al., 1996).

Pig populations and cattle/ poultry populations throughout Central
Vietnam are expanding rapidly. Production is increasing steadily in all
agro-ecological zones, Lowland, Upland and Coastal areas. Production is
carried out at three levels; state, private companies and smallholders.
Among them smallholders pig production take the highest proportion (GSO,
2006).

Feed sources for pig production in central Vietnam

Feed sources, which are available for pigs, vary greatly among
agro-ecological zones in Central Vietnam. Feed composition for pregnant,
lactating sows and fattening pigs raised in smallholder farms is
presented in Table 3. Table 3 shows that sows are fed mainly rice bran,
cassava meal, fresh sweet potato vine and a small amount of salted fish.
During the survey we found that are only very few smallholder in the
Lowland area use supplemented feed (with Premix) in their pig's
diet. Almost all farmers use sweet potato vine for the sows. Farmers
especially the older ones mention that they provide sweet potato to
prevent constipation in the sow and to facilitate the sow's
farrowing. Table 3 also presents the amounts of feed components given to
fattening pigs in different zones. The main protein feed sources in
Central Vietnam are fishmeal and seafood byproducts like fish heads and
shrimp heads. Other sources include coconut, sesame, and soybean, but
the use of these ones are minimal. Fishmeal is produced mostly from
saltwater fish and from animals or the part of the animal that are not
suitable for human consumption.

Nutrition and feeding : Table 3 presents results of our estimates
of energy value given as Digestible Energy value (DE) Crude protein (CP)
and in the diets for fattening pigs and sows raised in smallholder farms
in different zones of Central Vietnam. The average crude protein content
in the pig's diet is about 10%. Restricted feeding is practiced in
all the herds and commercial feeds that are not specifically formulated
for pigs. Table 3 also shows that feeds for fattening pigs and sows are
not very complicated and contains insufficient amounts of energy and
protein. Ensiled fish is used as supplement is but it is available only
in small quantities. Amino acids and fatty acids are not added to pig
feed.

Nutritive value of foodstuffs : The contents of energy, protein and
minerals given per day are compared with the national standard
requirements. NRC (1998) and Vietnam NRC-NIAH (2001) of fattening and
reproductive sows were presented in Table 4 and 5.

From the determinations of feed given to pigs and estimation of DM
in feed (kg/d) supplied to growing pigs of 20-50 kg BW. The shortage of
DM in growing diet was for 29.1% in Lowland, 28.6% in Coastal area and
highest with 42% in Upland. The shortage of DM food (kg/d) fed to
growing pig of 50-90 kg of body weight in three zones: Lowland, Coastal
and Upland were 48.9, 51.2 and 51.5%, respectively. Crude protein
content fed to growing and fattening pig were deficient for all regions.
The shortage of crude protein supply in the growing diets in this period
was 62.1% in Lowland, 66.4% in Coastal and 69.7% in Upland area. The
shortage in crude protein in the fattening diets in lowland, Coastal
region and Upland were 68, 71.9 and 74.6%, respectively.

Similarly to the composition of feedstuffs given to fattening pigs,
we also estimated data for Nutritive value of feedstuffs for pregnant
and for lactating sows. Data in Table 5 showed that feed fed to pregnant
and lactating sows were not only low in amount and but also in nutritive
value.

The shortage of DM intake (kg/d) of pregnant sows raised in three
zone Lowland, Coastal and Upland were 25, 16 and 23.5% respectively. The
shortage of crude protein content in diet of pregnant sows in these
three zones were 32, 42.7 and 61.2%, respectively.

The shortage of DM intake (kg/d) of lactating sow raised in
Lowland, Coastal and Upland were 31.1, 39.2 and 57.1%, respectively. The
shortages in crude protein content in the diets of sows in these areas
were 63.4, 65 and 78.9%, respectively

Pig housing of smallholders in Central Vietnam

Most of pig houses in Central Vietnam are simple and shows a great
variation. Pig housing in Upland, Van Kieu, Taoi, Muong minorities keep
pigs as scavengers, occasionally confine them in paddocks; in wooden or
bamboo-made pens. Pig housing in Lowland and Coastal areas are often in
enclosed pens with a concrete floor. Walls between the pens and in the
slatted floor manure collection pit are made from brick, the roof is
mostly made from iron sheet, clay tiles or fibro-cement on a framework
of timber or bamboo stems. Almost all farmers keep the gilts and sows in
the same place from pregnancy, farrowing and lactation until weaning of
piglets and manure is not stored.

Natural ventilation of pig housing system in Central Vietnam that
is associated with micro-climate and the animal's welfare. The
average temperature in Lowland, Coastal and Upland areas is about 25.9,
25.3, 24.5[degrees]C and relative humidity is about 82.6, 83.4 and 84.2%
respectively. In the wet season, the mean minimum temperature for
Lowland, Coastal and Upland area was about 19.5 18.2 and 17.3[degrees]C
and the mean maximum temperature in that one was about 26.2, 25.3 and
23.4[degrees]C respectively. Mean minimum relative humidity in that one
was 71.5, 72.7 and 75.83% and mean maximum relative humidity was 92.7,
95.3 and 95.7% respectively. In the dry season, the mean monthly minimum
temperature for Lowland, Coastal and Upland area was 25.9, 24.5 and
23.7[degrees]C and mean monthly maximum temperature were, 35.2, 33.5 and
31.7[degrees]C respectively. Mean monthly minimum relative humidity in
three zone were 57.83, 58.7 and 61.5% and mean maximum relative humidity
was 84.7, 87.7 and 86.3% respectively.

Farmers were asked to identify the constraints responsible for
their fragile pig production situation and to suggest possible solutions
to alleviate these constraints. Obviously, many factors contribute to
poverty of family farmers. And pigs breed, nutrition and housing do not
contribute much to their wealth.

As a conclusion, our survey stresses on the need of an integrated
approach to improve pig production and living standards of rural
smallholders in Central Vietnam. Scientific, technical, social and
economic research involving all aspects of animal production systems
(animal genotypes, nutrition, human and environmental condition
interactions) is a great challenge for researchers.

DISCUSSION

In the context of social science, peasant societies are described
as communities rather than as single individuals or households.
Communities are halfway between the traditionally agricultural and
industrial society. In the peasant society the household is an important
social unit because within it the decisions concerning individual
members' activities and their consumption (and thus their welfare)
and their social status are made (Ellis, 1993).

The median farm size of 0.62 to 1.17 ha was small and this was
attributed to the natural ecological zone of the study sites and the
land-tenure system of inheritance (with subsequent subdivisions). In
common with other reports on smallholder farming systems (Gitau et al.,
1994; Simon et al., 1999), the smallholder pig farmers also kept other
livestock and grew cash and subsistence crops. Most farms depended on
family labour for pig production and had an off-farm income activity as
has been observed previously on smallholder dairy farms (Schaik van et
al., 1996).

The great importance of pigs in customs and in traditions was
probably brought about by scarcity. Fish, vegetable and fruit were
relatively plentiful, available and provided every day and these pigs
are reserved for great occasions. The keeping of Village pigs is still a
noncommercial activity illustrated by the small size of herds, the
frequent change in ownership, and generally poor nutrition.

The results of our study show a low production output for different
zones in Central Vietnam. This is clearly related to low input. Feeding
just a small amount in an unbalanced way causes a low performance of
sows and of fattening pigs raised in smallholder farms in Central
Vietnam. The most common factor is the insufficient supply of nutrients
with the feed. This makes it impossible to reach a good production
level. The differences between high and low quality-feeds are mainly
with regard to energy and protein supply. This low supply of energy and
nutrients is undoubtedly the greatest limit to production of pigs in
Central Vietnam. Also the pigs are fed the same materials as people eat,
so the are in direct competition with humans for food (paddy rice).

The availability and utilization of feedstuffs varies very much
according to geographical region. Farmers tend to use whatever is
available and reasonably palatable, including commercial feed, crop
products and by-products, kitchen waste and fresh forages.

From two surveys of Tran et al. (2003) and Hoang (2003), it is
clear that in rural areas, the use of by-products from crop production
as feedstuffs is common in particular rice bran is used. The use of rice
bran is very common because wet and rain-fed rice cultivation is
practiced throughout the country.

The production system used throughout the country and thus also in
Central Vietnam is a traditional one with a pig local breed that is fed
crop by-products, crop residues and or/ any green material produced in
home garden or nearby areas (Vo et al., 1995). Costs and net returns are
both very low in this system. Green forage is also provided as a
significant part of the pig's diet by many smallholders,
particularly in upland area. Forage provides up to 25% of the energy
(ME) for fatteners and 40% for pregnant sow in these areas (Le et al.,
1998). Since premix-vitamin is not applied by farmer in daily pig diets,
green forage is the major source of vitamins for village pigs. There are
shortages of nutrient in pig feed and the higher the body weight is, the
larger the shortage of DM is. Particularly, more than 50% in DM (kg) and
CP is lacked in the lactation diets.

There was close similarity between pig breed and pig feeding
regimen seen in three regions during this study. There is a great
importance of pigs in customs and in traditions and this was probably
brought about by the scarcity according to de Fredrick and Osborne
(1977). Central Vietnam has a variety of pig breeds of which some lean
breed like Large White, Landrace and some are not considered lean breeds
like local breeds as Mong Cai, Co, VanPa. The indigenous breeds survive
well in local conditions but they show a low productivity (Pham et al.,
2007).

The pigs in the farms were local pigs and F1 that were mainly the
crossbred of (Large White or Mong Cai) or (Landrace x Mong Cai) and only
a few farmers possessed more than one sow (Pham et al., 2007). Such
breeds perform well under tropical conditions if they are properly
managed (de Fredrick and Osborne, 1977; Kunavongkrit and Heard, 2000).
Most farmers in the current study do not keep a breeding boar because
their sows are served by artificial insemination. Similar observations
have been made in other tropical smallholder farms (Gatenby and
Chemjong, 1992; Lanada et al., 1999). Most pig raisers did not seek
extension information on pig farming and this might explain the poor
pig-management practices observed.

During investigation, we found that pig houses on smallholders in
Central Vietnam are simple and great variation. The pig housing are
constructed by local available materials and in a traditional way.
According to Astroem (2000), the prevailing systems in rural areas are
free-range systems or housing in simple pens, both with a minimum of
inputs.

The constraints to pig production as perceived by the farmers in
the current study were largely in accordance with findings in other
tropical smallholder pig-production systems (de Fredrick, 1977;
Kambarage et al., 1990; Gatenby and Chemjong, 1992; Lanada et al., 1999;
More et al., 1999; Kunavongkrit and Heard, 2000). The production
constraints might hinder improvement to productivity of pigs raised by
the smallholder farmers.

When conducting the detail the survey for 150 farmers who are
raising only fattening and 150 farmers who are raising only reproductive
sows in three zones, we found some differences on the number of
fattening and number of sow/farm (compared to average number of
pig/households for three zones was 3.3 animal/households). The questions
about the reason of these difference were answered by the interviewed
farmers. Pigs are raised in Lowland and Coastal more than Upland because
the main areas of rice and cassava which are feed sources for pig
production. The farmers of the regions responded with different emphasis
on cash money, meat consumption and also practical experience of animal
husbandry. That is also differences about the way they think that pig
prices will go and if they can sell surplus at a good price.

During this study, we observed that in practice, only a few farmers
kept written records. All survey data, except objective measurement such
as weight or other measures that enable us to estimate weight, weight
food were based on information provided by each participating pig
raiser. Because a few farmers kept any written records about management
or production, these data were generally based on recall. Although no
verification could be made of the data provided by each farmer, but we
assumed that the accuracy of dataset is likely to be reasonable.

Firstly in common with the principles underpinning participatory
rural appraisal (Young, 1993), we have considered smallholder farm to
have substantial knowledge about the few animals they have under their
care. Secondly, although recall of some questionnaire issues (Notably:
the birth dates of growing animal) may be subject to considerable error,
misclassification has been minimized by dichotomizing continuous
variables wherever appropriate. This approach is particularly reflected
in our analytical method. Although statistical power was reduced we
elected to use logistic (with the outcome being dichotomized weight-for
age) rather than multiple regression to minimize misclassification that
may have resulted from inaccurate estimate of age. Most of the data
collected during the cross-sectional study (such as level of ownership,
piglet management procedures) were likely to change a little (if at all)
over time. Relevant question were phrased to specific period of
interest.

Similarly with previous studies (Slater et al., 1992; Wilesmith et
al., 1992; Wittum et al., 1994) there is a problem with accurate
assessment of some nutritional information. During this study we
collected those data about diets that likely influenced weigh-for-age.
These data include basal feedstuffs (the feed that forms the large part
of diet weight) and the use of commercial feeds, green feeds and any
protein sources. These data were collected from all farms. And we
considered that the use of commercial feeds or not and the inclusion of
some source of protein was indicative of a long term trend.

The key problems in feed supply considered may be i) inadequate
supply of amounts of protein and or amino acids. ii) No knowledge of
fatty acid composition of feeds. iii) Little understanding of the level
concentrate or supplement required in a diet. iv) appropriate level of
feed energy for pigs at each age. To improve the quality of feeding the
pigs it is needed that farmers first know the requirements of the
animals. So it will be best to train the farmer on this aspect of pig
husbandry. A number of opportunities have been identified for
improvement of the production of smallholder pig farms in a sustainable
way. The formulation of appropriate and cost effective diets proved
problematic, particularly because of considerable overlap in feedstuffs
eaten by pigs and people (de Frederick and Osbone, 1977). Nonetheless,
significantly improved growth rate have been achieved if more attention
was paid to the nutritive value of locally grown feedstuffs and to the
value of added vegetable protein, fish and shrimp -by product and
sources rich in energy e.g. carbohydrate rich feeds like Cassava and
Sweet potato.

The strategies to promote increased pig production by providing
more nutrient-rich feeds would be more effective when combined with a
nutrition education intervention. This ensures that increased household
food supply and income translates into improved pig's dietary
quality. Pig nutritional interventions generally focus on increasing
knowledge, changing attitudes, and improving practices related to the
three pillars of good nutrition, namely health care, and dietary intake.
Our result show that very few farmers were trained on pig husbandry,
especially the farmers in the upland area. It is thought that swine
nutrition education can stimulate the demand for certain foods, but the
farmer must have the means and opportunities to act on that knowledge.

In a previous study of Honeyman (1991) several opportunities were
given to enhance sustainability, including i) feeding with increased use
of forage and by products, ii) nutrient cycling through improved
handling of manure, iii) low capital but higher quality of animal houses
that offer a better environment for operator and animals iv)
preventative approaches to reduce swine health risks v) also use of a
broader genetic base.

Over the long term a sustainable pig production system should ;
maintain or enhance the environment and natural resources (land, water,
human, and feedstuffs); increase welfare for producer; should serve the
market, pork consumer, and social aspects.

We concluded from our survey that the small scale in the pig
production system in Central Vietnam is not only due to small farm house
but according to interviewed farmers it is also due to the lack of
capital for investment. Lack of technical knowledge and husbandry
experiences were reasons of making feed which does not have a proper
feed composition for the animals. Low amounts of capital for housing and
for the provision of sufficient feeds and thus the situation of
deficiencies in nutrient supply by feeds provided to the animal are
considered by the farmers a main reason for low yield of animal
production and the low income of farmers in Central Vietnam.

IMPLICATION

Increased feed supply will undoubtedly help to develop pig
production in Central Vietnam and this will result in increasing income
for farmer and better nutrition for people in rural area. To solve the
situation of low quality of pig feeding in smallholder pig farms, there
are some possibilities to improve food quality for pig production on
smallholders:

* Allow animals to eat a longer time of the day so they can ingest
more energy and protein

* Feeding semi-ad libitum will contribute to this: the animal can
consume un-limited from two or three diets per day.

The optimum feeding for smallholder pig production would be
rationed feeding with a balanced ration: Animal receives a limited
quantity of feeding according to the age and stage of animals. The
method of rationing is better economic effect. The improving is clearly
when rationing is applied during growing of animals. It is recommended
to supply a balance of amino acids and fatty acids in the ratio at the
various stages of the fattening and the sows.

Education to farmers should be given a high priority and linked
with supply of financial mean to apply this. Better understanding of
nutrition requirement is essential to raise production.

Basic cost-efficient housing for small-scale farm should be study
with emphasis on heat control and disease prevention. Farmer requires
simple units; use available materials for cheap solution to be
demonstrated. Hence, it can be concluded that the animal clearly need to
be given the most cost effective nutrition as well as good housing.
People should have a good general knowledge on pig husbandry. This is
very important to develop pig production on smallholder in Central
Vietnam.

REFERENCES

Bantugan, S. C. 1992. Assessment of existing smallholder upland
crop livestock system in Eaten Visayas. Integrated Program.
International development research center. Department of Animal Science
and Veterinary Medicine. Visayas state college of Agriculture.

de Fredrick, D. F. and H. G. Osborne. 1977. Pig production in the
Solomon Islands. III. The influence of breed, diet and housing on
reproduction and growth. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 9:203-210.

Hatfield, J. L. 2008. The effects of climate change on livestock
production (Effect of climate change on agriculture, land resource,
water resource and biodiversity in the United States. CCSP, US. Climate
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Hoang, T. H. Tra. 2003. Assessing input in pig production with
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demand driven production systems in Son La province, Vietnam. MSc
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